Gift giving within a Naming ceremony

Giving a special gift to a child as a memento of their day is a wonderful way to remember the happy occasion.   It also means that as the child grows older the significance of the gift can be explained.  Last week I talked about gift giving within a Naming ceremony.  Here is another example of this.

This is an extract from a ceremony I conducted in which a gift of a silver thimble was given.

"​In the story of Peter Pan, Peter and Wendy meet for the first time when Peter is attempting to reattach himself to his shadow.  Since his attempt to stick it back with soap fails, Wendy offers to sew the shadow onto Peter with a needle and thread. Once it is attached she offers to give Peter a kiss and he holds out his hand.  Not wishing to offend him Wendy places her thimble in his hand.

So the thimble becomes a symbol both love and the capacity for compassion in a child."
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